The Gamemaster
by Rose Starre
Summary: One morning, the WWE Superstars wake to find themselves trapped in a diabolical gauntlet of challenges, each more dangerous than the last. A mysterious voice informs them that they must complete these trials if they value their lives. Frightened, the Superstars embark on their perilous journey. Will they survive the gamemaster's twisted deathmatch, or will it be game over?
1. Let's Play a Game

**Disclaimer: I do not own the WWE Superstars in this story.**

Sami Zayn hadn't exactly been expecting birdsong upon waking up, but this was far from anything remotely familiar. He and the rest of the Superstars were packed into a small, relatively dark room. Some of them were already awake, but, seeing how little room there was to move, simply sat there, looking around in bewilderment. Sami crawled over a still-sleeping Dean Ambrose and approached Heath Slater. "Hey, what's going on?" he whispered.

"I dunno, man," Heath replied, glancing around at his sleeping colleagues. "I'm pretty freaked out right now. Is this everybody?"

"It looks like it," Sami answered. He quickly counted those present, just to be sure. Nodding, he added, "Yeah, I think that's everyone."

"Aw, man," Heath whimpered, putting his head in his hands. "I really hope nobody's gonna do anythin'. Really hope this is just a- j-just a big misunderstandin'. I'm really freakin' out. I-I mean, I dunno..."

"Hey, take it easy," Sami reassured him. "We're probably going to be fine."

At that exact moment, the lights snapped on, blindingly bright after the near-complete darkness. Heath yelped, adding his voice to the chorus of loud groans from the Superstars who had still been sleeping only moments before. As if that wasn't enough, previously unnoticed speakers in the corners of the room suddenly crackled to life. "Welcome, one and all, to the experience of a lifetime!" an overly cheery voice boomed, slightly distorted by static. "Thrills! Chills! Danger! All under one roof!"

"You interrupted my beauty sleep for this?" the Miz spat, glaring up at one of the speakers.

"Yeah! What gives?" Tyler Breeze joined in.

"C'mon, Breezy," Fandango yawned, patting his tag partner's shoulder. "I'm sure we can just go back to sleep for a few minutes."

"Close your eyes and you will meet your end now," the voice growled. The Superstars collectively froze, staring wide-eyed at the various speakers. The owner of the voice cleared his throat and chuckled slightly. "I mean, you wouldn't want to miss all the excitement, would you?" he asked in a slightly calmer tone.

Abruptly, a door across the room swung open. "If you would all kindly step through that door," the voice continued, "You will enter the game floor. I will further explain the rules there." The speakers hissed menacingly for a minute more before falling completely silent.

"Hey, with a name like 'game floor', it can't be all bad, right?" Xavier Woods asked, laughing nervously. "I mean, he was probably just kidding about the whole 'meeting your end' part, right?"

"I don't think I want to take that chance," Charlotte said, eyeing the door distrustfully.

"Well, I don't think we have a choice," Sheamus noted darkly.

One by one, the Superstars edged slowly toward the door. Once inside, they were greeted by an incredibly large room. The opposite wall was obscured by equipment of various sizes and shapes, each finely tuned to suit one purpose or another. "What is all this?" Bayley asked, inching slightly closer to the nearest contraption.

"Welcome to the game floor," the voice said from somewhere. "The instruments you see before you formulate your first test. This game will test your physical strength and mettle. The goal here is simple: merely reach the door on the other side of the room. You have three tries on each obstacle. Fail and you will be eliminated. Good luck."

"What exactly does he mean by 'eliminated'?" Cedric Alexander asked.

"An excellent question," the voice replied, startling more than a few Superstars. "When you are eliminated, you have reached your end. You will be out of the game permanently. Game over."

"See?" Xavier piped up, smiling with relief. "He didn't mean an actual end. You just get kicked out of the game, that's all."

A general feeling of reassurance spread throughout the group. "Well, let's get going, then," Kevin Owens said, making his way toward the first obstacle.

 _Hey, check it out! I'm not dead!_

 _On a side note, for those of you interested, I thought this one up last Saturday morning. Then, I proceeded to write for the entirety of the daylight hours. :P Always nice when inspiration hits you in the brain so hard, eh? ;)_


	2. The First Obstacle

**Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the characters.**

The first obstacle loomed above the Superstars. A tangle of rope ladders led to the top, most of them twisted beyond usefulness. "This ain't so bad," AJ Styles noted, grabbing hold of the first ladder. "We just have to get to the top there, right?"

"I'm getting the feeling it's not that simple," Seth Rollins mused aloud, crossing his arms and looking the structure over.

"We won't know 'til we try it," AJ said. He hoisted himself up the ladder. Once at the platform above that particular ladder, he peered down at the rest of the Superstars. "Well?" he asked. "You guys comin' or not?"

One at a time, the Superstars followed after him. Several defected from the group in search of another way up. As they climbed, the rest of the room became more easily visible. From their vantage point high above the other obstacles, they could see what they would soon be up against. "Is that a zip line up there?"Sasha Banks asked, peering around whoever was climbing the ladder in front of her.

"Looks like it," TJ Perkins called down. He looked up at the top of the structure while he waited for Cesaro and Sheamus to stop bickering long enough to untangle the next ladder. "Do they really expect us to do that one at a time?" he muttered to himself. "It's gonna take forever."

AJ finally reached the top and paused for a moment, eyeing the zip line. "That's the way down, I guess," he explained to Curt Hawkins, who had happened to have been right behind him.

"They want us all to use that?" Curt asked. "At once?"

"Uh, it only looks like it can hold one person," AJ mused, investigating the harness. He turned and tried to see where the line ended. Unfortunately, he could not see the other end from his position. "I can't see where it goes, either," he added. "So, we're gonna have to do this blind."

"A leap of faith, huh?" Dean grumbled, pulling himself up onto the platform. "Great. Just what we needed."

"Well, somebody's gonna have to do it," AJ pointed out, shrugging.

Suddenly, James Ellsworth poked his head up from the ladder. "What's that all about?" he asked as soon as he laid eyes on the zip line. AJ, Dean, and Curt shared a glance, smirking.

"What?" James questioned, looking from one face to the next. Before he knew it, the other three had strapped him into the harness and were preparing to push him down the zip line. "Wait! Wait a second, guys!" he cried, looking wildly at each of them in turn. "I'm not so sure about this. I could get hurt or something!"

"Nah, you won't," AJ assured him, feigning concern. He patted James' shoulder. "You'll be fine. Happy landin'!" With that, he gave James one last shove, sending him speeding toward the ground.

"You're horrible," Dean laughed, folding his arms.

"Oh, I know," AJ replied, grinning.

James screamed the whole way down. By the time he reached the end of the line, he had just about run out of breath. Opening his eyes, he realized he had reached the ground again safely and let out a sigh of relief. "Hey, you guys!" he shouted back toward the others. "I made it!"

"What'd I tell you?" AJ called back. "Now, what's down there?"

Unhooking himself from the harness and looking around, James observed a narrow corridor that branched into several identical hallways. "Looks like a maze," he reported. "Can you see what it looks like from up there?"

"No," AJ answered, squinting in James' direction. "There's a roof or somethin' on top."

"Oh," James said, glancing up at the maze's covering for a second. "Uh, should I go in or not?"

"Just hang on a minute," AJ advised. "We'll be down as soon as we can." He turned to the group that was growing behind him. "Um… There's gotta be another way down, right?" he asked.

The Superstars searched for a time. "Can't we just climb down the other side?" Alexa Bliss asked gesturing toward the opposite side of the structure.

"Hate to break it to you," Dolph Ziggler replied, leaning slightly over the side. "But, there's no way down here. It's just a drop."

"Well, that's just great!" Dean snapped, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "We came all the way up here and now there's no way down."

"Hang on a sec," Carmella said, worming her way through the crowd to the front. "James, hun, d'ya think you could find somethin' in that maze?" she called.

"Oh, uh, sure!" James replied. He glanced down the corridor in front of him. "Um… It might take a few minutes."

"Just get a move on," AJ snapped.

"Right, right, I'm going," James called back. He gave the others a short wave and headed down the hallway. He wandered for what seemed like an incredibly long time. The twists and turns seemed to go on forever. Abruptly, he came across yet another dead-end. However, this one housed a single, bright red button. Carefully approaching, he called, "Hey, I found this button here. Is this what I'm looking for?" Nothing but silence answered him. "Okay, I'm just gonna push it then," he muttered, doing just that.

Back on the ladder structure, the rest of the Superstars had made it to the top-most platform. Needless to say, it was getting rather cramped. "Jeez, what's takin' the no-chin wonder so long?" Enzo Amore mumbled, tapping his foot.

"Just give him a few more minutes, 'Zo," Big Cass sighed, folding his arms. "You don't know what's goin' on down there."

Unexpectedly, the entire structure shuddered. "Uh, what was that?" Zack Ryder asked, eyes wide.

"A really short earthquake?" Mojo Rawley suggested with a shrug.

Just as abruptly as it had shaken, the structure began to sink into the ground. "Did... Ellsworth do that?" Dean asked as the platform came to rest on the ground, allowing the rest of the Superstars to approach the maze.

"I would guess so," Roman Reigns replied, shaking his head slightly. "Nobody else did anything."


	3. Like Rats in a Maze

**Disclaimer: I still don't own the Superstars. (Warning: Actual foul language ahead. Seeing how this is a first for me, we'll just see how this goes.)**

Now that they were all safe on the ground again, the Superstars peered uneasily into the depths of the next obstacle. "What do you think is in there?" Sami asked, edging carefully forward.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Seth replied, shaking his head. "James hasn't come back out yet."

"Well, he might just be waiting for us on the other side," Bo Dallas suggested. He separated himself from the group and entered the maze with no hint of hesitation. "C'mon!" he called back over his shoulder.

All of a sudden, a large reddish-purple something with a wide, gaping mouth sprang out from one of the branching corridors. It took one look at the now-petrified optimist before snapping him up in its jaws. The rest of the Superstars, who were thankfully still outside the maze, let out a collective gasp of shock. Licking its chops, the creature barely glanced at them before bounding away.

"Oh, shit!" Enzo blurted.

"Somebody please tell me that thing didn't just eat him," Heath whimpered from behind his hands.

"I wish I could," Alexa replied, looking a bit sick herself.

"Oh, geez," Zack groaned, hiding his face behind one hand. "That's sick. And not in a good way, either."

"What the hell do we do now?" Dean asked, eyeing the maze cautiously. "There's a man-eating… thing in there. We can't just waltz in there like a bunch of morons."

"Maybe if we're really, really quiet," Curtis Axel suggested, still wincing and looking away from the maze. "Maybe we can sneak past it?"

"What if we just run real fast?" AJ asked, casting a quick glance at the place the creature had been standing. "That thing's big; it might not be fast enough to catch us."

"Hey, there are some of us who can't run all that fast," Mark Henry protested, folding his arms.

"Are you guys really just gonna ignore the fact that somebody literally just died right in front of us?" Bayley asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Of course not," Carmella crooned, hugging her friend. "It'll be okay."

"Look, we have bigger things to worry about," Kevin pointed out, crossing his arms. "We can have a memorial service later."

"He's got a point. We can't stay here," Cass noted softly, gently steering the two women toward the maze. "C'mon. We're gonna be alright."

"Hopefully," Enzo added quietly.

"We'll be alright," Cass repeated, shooting a look at his best friend. "We just have to be really quiet."

The Superstars moved painfully slow, creeping silently past the corridors the creature had occupied. Fortunately, the creature, having had its meal, was nowhere to be seen. Realizing this, they picked up the pace, hurrying through the corridors at random.

Abruptly, they ran into James. He was breathing heavily and stared wildly at the group as they approached. "Did- did you see it?" he panted.

"What're you talking about?" AJ snapped quietly, glancing around to make sure no mysterious creatures had heard the exchange.

"That- that…" James stammered, looking around anxiously. He lowered his voice and finished, "That beast."

The Superstars collectively shuffled their feet and coughed uncomfortably. "Well, about that…" AJ mumbled, trailing off.

"It ate Bo!" Heath blurted. He slapped a hand over his mouth and looked around to see if the creature had heard. It was only after nothing happened for a few minutes that he relaxed again.

"It ate someone?" James cried.

"Shut up!" AJ snapped, waving one hand frantically at him. "We can't have it hearin' us."

"Guys, we have to keep goin'," Cass interjected.

"He's right," Kevin agreed. "Let's get a move on before we're next."

Continuing their trek, the Superstars moved at a more frenzied pace, considering that they could have given away their position. After what seemed like a long time of frenetic wandering, the end finally came into view. "I have never been more happy to see a hole in the wall," Heath declared, rushing forward.

Rhyno flung his arm out in his friend's path, stopping him. "Wait," he warned. "It can't be that easy."

Sure enough, the creature suddenly stepped into view, barring their path to escape. Its beady eyes glinted in the light as it licked its chops again. A low growl emanated from its throat as it slowly advanced toward the terrified Superstars.

"Oh, geez," Enzo exclaimed, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. He stumbled back and hid himself behind Cass. "What do we do? What do we do?"

"Just calm down," Cass said, maintaining visual contact with the beast. "There's a way around. There has to be." He quickly surveyed the scene. "Shit," he whispered to himself.

The creature jumped forward a short way, snapping its expansive jaws together. The Superstars lept back in response, every eye locked fearfully on their attacker. "It's not gonna let us past," Sasha noted, shaking her head frantically. "We have to do something!"

"Perhaps we need someone to present themselves as a sacrifice," Jack Gallagher suggested.

"Are you mental?" Neville shot back. "We're trying to keep everyone alive here!"

"No, no," AJ said, adjusting his position so that he stood between the two. "He might be onto somethin'." He swiftly scanned the faces of his peers. "I nominate James," he proclaimed, grabbing the shoulder of the man in question.

"Whoa, no, no," James protested, holding his hands up. "I wanna live, darnit!"

"Everybody calm down!" Becky Lynch bellowed. "We don't need sacrifices, okay?" She glanced at the beast sitting before them. It hadn't moved since it had last leaped, but instead was observing the Superstars with what could only be described as a mildly curious expression. "Maybe it's gonna let us go," she deduced, inching cautiously forward.

"Bex, I wouldn't do that," Sasha warned.

"It's not doing anything," Becky observed, not turning her gaze from the beast's maw. She took a few more hesitating steps forward, about which the beast did nothing.

"D'ya think it's still… full?" Carmella asked tentatively.

"Looks like it," Becky answered. She paused for a moment and watched the beast closely. It tilted its head and flicked its tongue out.

The Superstars and the creature remained perfectly still, having somehow silently agreed on a stalemate between them. "Isn't somebody gonna check and see if it'll let us through?" Kofi Kingston asked.

"Just give me a sec," Becky replied, resuming her dubious walk. "I'm working on it."

The beast watched her attentively as she crept slowly towards it. Its jaws opened slightly again and it ran its tongue over the points of its teeth. As the Lass Kicker drew nearer, it growled a muted warning, abruptly twitching its lips back and baring its fangs further. Becky hesitated again.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Kevin grumbled, marching toward the creature. He pushed past Becky and stared defiantly into the beast's eyes. "Go on!" he yelled, waving his arms. "Get out of the way, you stupid animal!"

Much to the rest of the Superstars' surprise, the beast squealed like a kicked puppy and scampered off into the depths of the maze. "I really didn't expect that to work that well," Kevin admitted, looking fairly astonished himself.

"Forget that," AJ snapped, pointing ahead at the exit. "We can go now!"

The Superstars burst out of the maze, happy to be free of its terrifying inhabitant. "Guys, I really can't believe that worked!" James exclaimed, grinning wildly.

"Yeah, we got that," Kevin snapped irritably. He pointed ahead to the next obstacle. "Look at what we have to deal with now."

"Is that… a freakin' horse?" Enzo asked.


End file.
